Casio

Casio Men's A178WA-1A Illuminator Bracelet Digital Watch

• Quartz movement
• Protective mineral crystal protects watch from scratches
• Case diameter: 32 mm
• Stainless-steel case; digital-gray dial; day-date-and-month functions

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Stylish and affordable, the quartz-powered Casio Men's Illuminator Bracelet Digital Watch #A178WA-1A features a digital dial face with a durable mineral dial window. Embellishing the face, stand-out numerals offer at-a-glance readability while features such as a day-date-and-month calendar enhance your timekeeping experience. A silver-tone stainless steel band comes equipped with a secure fold-over clasp. Other details include a stationary stainless steel bezel and 32-millimeter stainless steel case. The reliability and style of this charming timepiece make it a perfect everyday accessory.

The Casio Story

With the launch of its first watch in November 1974, Casio entered the wristwatch market at a time when the watch industry had just discovered digital technology. As a company with cutting-edge electronic technology developed for pocket calculators, Casio entered this field confident that it could develop timepieces that would lead the market.

In developing its own wristwatches Casio began with the basic question, ""What is a wristwatch?"" Rather than simply making a digital version of the conventional mechanical watch, we thought that the ideal wristwatch should be something that shows all facets of time in a consistent way. Based on this, Casio was able to create a watch that displayed the precise time including the second, minute, hour, day, and month — not to mention a.m. or p.m., and the day of the week. It was the first watch in the world with a digital automatic calendar function that eliminated the need to reset the calendar due the variation in month length. Rather than using a conventional watch face and hands, a digital liquid crystal display was adopted to better show all the information. This culminated in the 1974 launch of the CASIOTRON, the world’s first digital watch with automatic calendar. The CASIOTRON won acclaim as a groundbreaking product that represented a complete departure from the conventional wristwatch.

Casio transformed the concept of the watch — from a mere timepiece to an information device for the wrist — and undertook product planning based on this innovative idea. We developed not only time functions such as global time zone watches, but also other radical new functions using Casio’s own digital technology, including calculator and dictionary functions, as well as a phonebook feature based on memory technology, and even a thermometer function using a built-in sensor. The memory-function watches became our DATA BANK product series, while the sensor watches developed into two unique Casio product lines of today: the Pathfinder series displaying altitude, atmospheric pressure, and compass readings.

In 1983, Casio launched the shock-resistant G-SHOCK watch. This product shattered the notion that a watch is a fragile piece of jewelry that needs to be handled with care, and was the result of Casio engineers taking on the challenge of creating the world’s toughest watch. Using a triple-protection design for the parts, module, and case, the G-SHOCK offered a radical new type of watch that was unaffected by strong impacts or shaking. Its practicality was immediately recognized, and its unique look, which embodied its functionality, became wildly popular, resulting in explosive sales in the early 1990s. The G-SHOCK soon adopted various new sensors, solar-powered radio-controlled technology (described below), and new materials for even better durability. By always employing the latest technology, and continuing to transcend conventional thinking about the watch, the G-SHOCK brand has become Casio’s flagship timepiece product.

Today, Casio is focusing its efforts on solar-powered radio-controlled watches: the built-in solar battery eliminates the nuisance of replacing batteries, and the radio-controlled function means users never have to reset the time. In particular, the radio-controlled function represents a revolution in time-keeping technology similar to the impact created when mechanical watches gave way to quartz technology. Through the further development of high radio-wave sensitivity, miniaturization, and improved energy efficiency, Casio continues to produce a whole range of radio-controlled models.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000GAWS7W
• Item model number: A178WA-1A
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #773 in Watches (See Top 100 in Watches)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheap, Strong, Big numbers - what's not to like?, November 11, 2007

By 

S. Wolf (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Ever since I navigated my sailboat around the world using a $10 Casio watch as my primary timekeeping device (before GPS, of course) I've been a big fan of cheap Casio watches, but I have a drawer full of working ones with broken bands. The metal band cheap-o's are mostly the three-button classic with small numerals. As I get older, I need the bigger numerals. This one is absolutely perfect. At $14 it is the ultimate statement of function and substance trumping snobbery.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lot of watch for a little money, August 4, 2008

By 

J. Friedman "J-F" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Men's A178WA-1A Illuminator Bracelet Digital Watch (Watch)

I'm the kind of guy who likes very basic stuff. I would rather have an inexpensive Casio on my wrist than a Rolex costing a few hundred more (is that how much they cost?...I wouldn't know). My feeling is that when the battery on your watch runs out, you shouldn't have to replace it. You should just replace the darn watch and treat yourself to a new one!

For years I've made this sort of a ritual. When the battery runs out on my cheap Casio, I order a new one from Amazon. When the new one arrives, I gather friends and family around for a sort of retirement party. Here's what I do: I gently remove the old watch from my wrist, gingerly raise it above my shoulder, toward the glow of the sun, and then violently smash it down to the ground and then stomp on it and grind it to a pulp. I must say, it feels great.

Then I take out my shiny new Casio and fasten it around my wrist with a flourish.

I once had a boss who was bragging about his Rolex, and I said, "Oh, yeah? Can you do THIS with YOUR watch?!" And I whipped off my watch and stomped it to death. I then offered to do the same to his Rolex. Luckily, he had a great sense of humor.

Now, here's the bottom line on this cool model in the Illuminator family:

The numbers are nice and big, as are the day of the week and the month and date. Some nice features: easy to program the time, date, etc., as well as to set up the stopwatch or the alarm. Nothing fancy to confuse the user. The "Illuminator" function is sweeeet. You just have to press the upper right button once and the watch stays lit for almost 3 seconds--long enough to read the time in a dark movie theater without having to hold the button down. Now that's class!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Casio Silver Watch., May 25, 2008

By 

Karl E. Hoff "blue sky" (Carbondale, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Men's A178WA-1A Illuminator Bracelet Digital Watch (Watch)

Very pleased with this item. Beautiful polished face and works just like my old plastic Casio. Pleasantly surprised at its quality. A++....